Is it okay to smoke weed?

Dear Pastor,

I am 19 years old and I recently became a Christian. Before I became a Christian I had a boyfriend, and he and I used to smoke. He introduced me to smoking ganja, and I used to like smoking ganja before having sex with him. I used to feel high. When I went into the Church I had to drop him, but I missed smoking ganja. I can do without the sex, but my Rasta boyfriend used to tell me that it was 'wisdom weed'. I have gone four months without ganja, so I suppose I can live without it forever.

I have lost two pregnancies. People told my boyfriend that I threw away the 'bellies', but that is beyond me. He does not like to hear the word 'Christian'. I am sharing house with a girl and she is of great help to me. She too used to smoke, but she has stopped. What I want to find out from you is, is there any truth that the smoking of ganja can help to heal diseases, and nothing is wrong if I smoke it?

T.N.

Dear T.N.,

There are medicinal benefits from using marijuana and I would encourage you to do your own research on the Internet. Just because there are benefits does not mean that smoking it is the best thing to do. If you were to go online, you would find that ganja can be used for many things. But whether it be ganja or cigarettes, I would not encourage anyone to smoke. Perhaps you should discuss this matter with your doctor.

Pastor